Method of making a bowling ball insert pad



Jan. 25, 1966 c. F. MITCHELL METHOD OF MAKING A BOWLING BALL INSERT PAD Filed June 22, 1960 INVENTOR. CHARLES E MITCHELL BY 2 Z Z ATT YS.

ilnited rates The present invention relates to bowling ball hole pads, and especially to novel and improved methods of forming bowling ball insert pads with special properties.

Heretofore there have been several different types of bowling ball pads made and examples of the pads sold are illustrated in my preceding United States Letters Patents Nos. 2,777,693 and 2,708,578. These pads have been made for insertion in and attachment to the walls of holes drilled into bowling balls in order that the bowler may have a more positive engagement with the bowling ball to obtain the best possible and most accurate gripping engagement by the bowler of the bowling ball so that maximum accuracy can be obtained in the bowling action.

While the types of bowling ball insert pads made heretofore have given excellent service and have provided very desirable results, it is always possible that an improved type of a pad can be produced, while it also should be noted that these prior types of pads or patches have usually had some type of a backing sheet adhesively secured to the back surface thereof and such backing sheets have been difficult to remove in some instances, or have been costly to provide on the pads.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved type of a bowling ball pad or patch and to provide novel and improved methods of making bowling ball insert pads.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of making a bowling ball insert pad wherein the pad is provided with a backing strip or material thereon and adhesively secured thereto and with such backing strip extending beyond the margin of the bowling ball pad in one dimension to facilitate separation of the backing sheet from the remainder of the pad when the pad is to be adhesively secured to the wall of a bowling ball hole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel method of processing an elongate strip of material from which a bowling ball insert pad is to be made and wherein the bowling ball pad can have a non-abrasive but high friction surface formed thereon for frictional engagement with a bowlers finger or thumb to aid in gripping and control action of a bowling ball.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel method by which a laminated type of a bowling ball insert pad can be formed and with a plurality of different materials being exposed in the finished pad for frictional contact with the bowlers finger or thumb.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a bowling ball insert pad of minimum thickness wherein the hole in the bowling ball would not need to be redrilled or altered in any manner after the pad has been positioned therein.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be made more apparent as the specification proceeds.

In order to understand the present invention more completely, reference is now directed to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of diagrammatic apparatus embodying the invention and which is adapted to practice the novel method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 3 through 7 are enlarged vertical sections taken atent G ice on lines 33, 44, 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7, respectively, of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a plan of the finished product.

When referring to corresponding members shown in the drawing and referred to in the specification, corresponding numerals are used to facilitate comparison therebetween.

The present invention relates to the general subject matter of a method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole wherein the method steps comprise providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a bowling ball insert pad and which base sheet has a backing layer adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding off the top of the sheet but leaving a longitudinally extending rib thereon adjacent one margin of the sheet, adhesively laminating a strip of a foam elastomer onto the ground surface of the sheet but leaving the rib exposed, grinding the surface of the foam elastomer strip to provide a new frictional surface thereon, and cutting the laminate transversely to provide pads with a transversely extending rib thereon adjacent one end thereof and with ground top surfaces provided on both the base sheet and the foam elastomer for gripping engagement with a bowlers finger or thumb.

Reference is now made to the details of the structure shown in the accompanying drawings, and the apparatus diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a whole by the numeral 1. This apparatus includes a grinding cylinder 2 that has its axis positioned transversely to the longitudinal axis of an elongate base sheet 3. The base sheet 3 is made from any suitable material for forming a bowling ball insert pad therefrom, and the base sheet may be made from natural or synthetic rubber, or similar materials, or it may be made from a cork-rubber mixture of any desired type, and a backing layer 4 is adhesively secured to this base sheet 3. As indicated in FIG. 3, preferably the backing layer 4, which is made from a suitable material such as paper, is secured to the base sheet 3 by means of an intermediate bonding or adhesive layer 5. The adhesive layer can be made from a conventional material, such as a thin fabric or paper strip that has adhesive intimately carried thereby and provided on both top and bottom surfaces thereof for securing the adhesive layer 5 to the bottom of the base sheet 2 and for securing the backing layer 4 to the opposite face of the adhesive layer.

The grinding cylinder 2 is provided with an annular recess 6 therein but with the remaining surface of the grinding cylinder 2 usually being flat or cylindrical in shape so that the grinding cylinder 2 will take oit some of the top surface of the base sheet 3 for the entire width thereof and form a rib 7 on such base sheet normally at, or adjacent one lateral margin of the base sheet, together with an area 8, usually fiat, adjacent the rib 7.

Next a strip of a foam or porous elastomer material indicated at 9 is adhesively secured to the flat area or surface 8 of the base sheet 3 and this elastomer strip may have a layer of adhesive present on its bottom surface for adhesive engagement with the base sheet, or other adhesive may be supplied between the strips. If desired, the laminated material may be passed under a compression roll 20 to aid in bonding the elastomer strip 9 fixedly to the upper surface of the base sheet 3. Thereafter, the laminated strip so produced is passed under a second grinding cylinder 10 which also has its axis positioned normal to the longitudinal axis of the base sheet finger or thumb as hereinafter explained in more detail. Any suitable support 23 may be provided below the cylinders 2 and 10 to reinforce the strip for accurate grinding thereof. Normally this second grinding cylinder 10 would not contact the rib 7 previously provided on the base sheet 3. Any suitable material such as rubber, synthetic rubber, polyurethane, etc. may be used to form the strip 9.

The next important step in the method of the invention is to remove, or trim the lateral portion of the base sheet 3 as laminated with the elastomer strip 9 on the margin thereof spaced from the rib 7. Preferably some member, such as a cutting disc 11, is suitably positioned in the path of movement of the base sheet 3 to trim an edge 22 of the base sheet 3 and leave such base sheet of any suitable width equal to the desired length of the finished bowling ball insert pad or patch to be made by the process of the invention.

It should be realized that in the practice of the present invention, the base sheet 3, which is originally made in the form of an elongate strip or sheet, can be positioned in any desired manner to be moved through a fixed path parallel to the longitudinal axis of such base sheet by suitably controlled power means.

Next the laminated unit formed from the base sheet 3 and elastomer strip 9 may have the backing layer 4 changed in position thereon and this preferably is done by pulling such backing layer 4 from engagement with the adhesive layer 5 as by drawing the backing layer 4 down over a roll 13 over which the laminate is passing. In order to provide an ultimate backing layer or cover strip which is readily removed from engagement with the finished bowling ball pad, the same, or a substitute backing layer or strip 14 is fed over a second roll 15, positioned adjacent the roll 13, in offset relation to the original position of the backing layer 4. Another roll 16, if desired, is provided to force the base sheet 3 and adhesive layer 5 into good engagement with this second, or replaced backing layer 14. The lateral margin of the backing layer 14 is suitably positioned to extend laterally beyond the margin of the base sheet 3 and elastomer strip 9, as best indicated at 17 in FIGS. 1 and 7 of the drawings, and provide an available edge to facilitate pulling the layer 14 from the finished pad. Initially the backing layer 4 may be slightly wider than the base sheet 3 so that the ultimate trimmed base sheet will be completely covered by the backing layer and with an edge of the backing layer still protruding from the base sheet. The backing layer 4 preferably extends initially at least from the margin of the base sheet 3 to have the rib 7 formed adjacent thereto, and the backing layer 4 completely covers the base sheet 3 when associated therewith.

At a suitable time after passing over the roll 15, the opposite lateral margin of the base sheet 3 can be trimmed, if necessary, for accurately sizing the base sheet 3, and insuring a smooth edge surface thereon. A knife or disc 21 may provide the trim action.

Thereafter, the elongate base sheet 3 is cut in any desired manner, for example, by a plurality of cutting knives 18, for instance, or cutting discs that extend transversely of the elongate base sheet 3 and sever it into suitable -bowling ball pads or patches 19 shown in section in FIG. 7. The discs or knives 18 may be movably positioned to be brought into engagement with the laminated strip at proper intervals. Or, the pads 19 may be cut from the elongate strip by suitable dies or other cutting means. It will be seen that the marginal portion 17 on the backing layer 14 is available to facilitate removal of the backing layer 14 when the pad 19 is to be inserted into a hole in a bowling ball to be secured thereto by the adhesive layer 5 forming a part of the pad 19. The end of the pad 19 may taper inwardly at the margin 17 to provide an accessible, easily usable pull tab on the pad.

In some instances, if desired, it may not be necessary to trim the margin of the base sheet 3 opposite to that having the rib 7 thereon, and if so, such a step can be omitted. The original backing layer 4 would be withdrawn from the base sheet, as at the cylinder or roll 13 and a second backing layer 14, or the same layer, would be applied to the elongate strip of base material and be offset therefrom on one edge whenever it is desired to provide the tab 17 to facilitate removal of the backing layer from the finished pad.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide a bowling ball pad having only the base sheet 3 thereon and, if so, then the grinding action of the second cylinder 10 naturally would be omitted. Such base sheet could be formed from a foam elastomer or the other materials noted hereinabove.

A feature of the present invention is to provide a novel method of making bowling ball pads wherein an elongate strip of material is used and is processed so that individual pads are formed by transversely cutting the initial elongate strip into short lengths having in this instance a width equivalent to that desired as the length of the finished bowling ball insert pad 19.

It is another important feature of the invention that ran efiicient, low cost, continuous type of a grinding operation has been provided on a strip of base material to provide an improved, high friction finished surface on the bowling ball pad to remove any smooth surface formed on the rubber or rubber-like material from which the base sheet is formed.

In view of the above, it is believed that an improved, novel method has been formed for providing bowling ball strips or pads with improved proper ties. Thus the objects of the invention have been achieved.

While one complete embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that modification of this particular embodiment of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole 3 comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet is slightly Wider than the finished length of the pad to be made and has a paper backing adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding off the top of said sheet and leaving a longitudinally directed rib thereon adjacent one margin thereof, adhesively laminating a strip of foam elastomer onto the ground surface of said sheet but leaving said rib exposed, grinding the surface of said foam elastomer strip to form a new fiat surface thereon, cutting off the edge of the laminate remote from the said rib, removing the paper strip from the laminate, securing a strip of paper of greater width than the laminate to the bottom surface thereof, and cutting the laminate transversely to provide pads with the paper backing protruding from an edge thereof and with a transversely extending rib adjacent one end thereof.

2. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet is slightly greater in width than the finished length of the pad which extends transversely of said sheet, said sheet having a backing layer adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding away the top of said sheet and leaving a longitudinally extending rib thereon adjacent one margin thereof, securing a strip of foam elastomer to the flat ground surface of said sheet, grinding the surface of said foam elastomer strip to form a ground flat top surface thereon, cutting off an edge of the laminated structure made from the base sheet and foam elastomer remote from the said rib, removing the backing layer from the laminated structure, securing a new backing strip of paper of greater width than the laminated structure to the bottom surface thereof, and cutting the laminated structure transversely to provide ribbed pads with the backing strip protruding from an edge thereof.

3. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet is slightly wider than the finished length of the pad to be made and has a paper backing adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding off the top of said sheet and leaving a longitudinally direoted rib thereon adjacent one margin thereof, adhesively laminating a strip of foam elastomer onto the ground surface of said sheet but leaving said ri'b exposed, grinding the Surface of said foam elastomer strip to form a new flat surface thereon, and cutting the laminate transversely to provide pads with a transversely extending rib adjacent one end thereof.

4. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet has a paper backing adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding otf the top of said sheet and leaving at least one longitudinally directed rib thereon, laminating a strip of foam elastomer with the fiat ground surface of said sheet, grinding the surface of said foam elastomer strip to form a porous ground top surface thereon, cutting off an edge of the laminate remote from the said rib, removing the paper backing from the laminate, securing a strip of paper of greater width than the laminate to the bottom surface thereof, and cutting the laminate to provide pads having a rib of the base sheet as part of the top surface thereof and having porous elastomer as part of the top surface thereof.

5. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet has a backing layer adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding off the top of said sheet to leave a high friction surface thereon, trimming one edge of said base sheet, removing the backing from the base sheet, and oifsetting one margin of the backing relative to the trimmed edge of the base sheet, securing the backing to the bottom surface of the base sheet to protrude from the trimmed edge thereof and cutting the laminate transversely to provide pads having a backing strip protruding from a trimmed margin thereof.

6. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet has a backing layer adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, cutting off one lateral margin of said sheet to trim the sheet, removing the backing layer from the base sheet, securing a strip of backing of greater width than the base sheet to the bottom surface thereof, and cutting the laminate transversely to provide pads having a backing strip protruding from one margin thereof.

7. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet has a backing layer adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, moving the elongate base sheet in the direction of its longitudinal axis, grinding off the top of said sheet to form at least one longitudinally directed rib thereon and a frictional top surface on said sheet, securing an elongate strip of material that is more resilient than that of said base sheet to said flat top surface of said base sheet but leaving said rib exposed, grinding off the top of said strip to form a frictional surface thereon, and cutting the base sheet perpendicularly to said rib to provide pads having said rib on the base sheet as part of the top surface thereof, which rib extends transversely of the pad.

8. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, which sheet has a paper backing adhesively secured to the bottom surface thereof, grinding off the top of said sheet and leaving at least one longitudinally directed rib thereon, adhesively laminating a strip of material over the flat ground surface of said sheet, grinding the surface of said strip to form a ground top surface thereon, cutting off an edge of the laminate remote from the said rib, removing the paper backing from the laminate, securing a strip of paper of greater Width than the laminate to the bottom surface thereof, and cutting the laminate to provide pads having a rib of the base sheet as part of the top surface thereof and having the ground strip as part of the top surface thereof.

9. A method of making a pad for a bowling ball hole comprising the steps of providing an elongate base sheet of material for forming a pad, grinding off the top of said base sheet to form a Hat section thereon and leave a longitudinally extending rib thereon adjacent one margin thereof, securing a strip of foam elastomer to the flat ground surface of said base sheet but leaving said rib exposed, grinding the surface of said foam elastomer strip to provide a revised top surface thereon, and cutting the laminated structure transversely to provide elongate pads with a transversely extending rib thereon.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,491,281 12/1949 Rowe 15453.5 2,678,678 5/1954 Kuechenmeister et a1.

156-154 XR 2,694,029 11/1954 Skinner 154-46 2,708,578 5/1955 Mitchell 27363 EARL M. BERGERT, Primary Examiner.

CARL F. KRAFFT, ALEXANDER WYMAN,

Examiners. 

5. A METHOD OF MAKING A PAD FOR A BOWLING BALL HOLE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING AN ELONGATE BASE SHEET OF MATERIAL FOR FORMING A PAD, WHICH SHEET HAS A BACKING LAYER ADHESIVELY SECURED TO THE BOTTOM SURFACE THEREOF, GRINDING OFF THE TOP OF SAID SHEET TO LEAVE A HIGH FRICTION SURFACE THEREON, TRIMMING ONE EDGE OF SAID BASE SHEET, REMOVING THE BACKING FROM THE BASE SHEET, AND OFFSETTING ONE MARGIN OF THE BACKING RELATIVE TO THE TRIMED EDGE OF THE BASE SHEET, SECURING THE BACKING TO THE BOTTOM SURFACE OF THE BASE SHEET TO PROTRUDE FROM THE TRIMMED EDGE THEREOF AND CUTTING THE LAMINATE TRANSVERSELY TO PROVIDE PADS HAVING A BACKING STRIP PROTRUDING FROM A TRIMMED MARGIN THEREOF. 